Moyes has come under fire since replacing Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer, with the defending Premier League champions sitting ninth in the table after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Everton.

Ferdinand, one of the longest serving players in the United squad, has now said: “This manager is a bit different in that he doesn't name the team beforehand -- you don't get to know the team.

“The old manager used to give you a little bit of an idea if you were playing. When you know you're playing the intensity goes up a little bit.

“That's what you've got to try and do even if you're not sure if you're playing. It's hard to do mentally. You spend a lot of nervous energy thinking: 'Am I playing, am I not playing?' -- keep just going round in circles in your head, enough to turn you into a mad man.”

Nemanja Vidic, meanwhile, has warned his United teammates they must unite if they are to overcome their current malaise.

“I always believe in the squad we have and the work we do. There is no question about that,” he told MUTV. “We have to accept we are not in the position we want and it's obviously not the best feeling in the world.

“All the players realise we have to stick together, have to perform better and start winning games. Doing that will raise the confidence and everything will get better.

“We cannot look back. We have to look forward and think about what's coming up in the next few weeks. Other teams have dropped points as well. We are ninth in the table but the points difference is not as big as you'd expect if you look at the amount of games we've won, drawn and lost.

“That shows that the league has either got stronger or that the top teams have not yet hit really good form.”